A massive operation to smash organised gangs saw police in dawn raids on seven homes seizing £500,000 of cannabis and making five arrests.

Four men were among the five arrested after a police helicopter using heat-seeking technology uncovered six cannabis farms.

The farm raids, all in the same area of Peterborough, follow a number of drugs warrants in the city on Friday morning (February 1).

About 50 officers from neighbourhood policing in Peterborough, supported by colleagues from the Special Constabulary and immigration, raided seven addresses in the Bretton area as part of a crackdown to disrupt drugs networks run by organised crime groups (OCGs).

More than 571 cannabis plants in varying stages of growth were seized totalling an estimated value of £500,000. Two kilos of already dried and bagged cannabis were also seized.

Kledian Lezaj, 27, of Swanspool, Bretton, and Sokol Sakuta, 23, of Drayton, Bretton, have both been charged with being concerned in the production of cannabis.

All three were remanded to appear at Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, February 2. Police say the outcome of the hearing is yet to be recorded.

Police used a helicopter with heat seeking technology to uncover the farms

Sergeant Jason Hancock, from the Community Action Team (CAT), told Cambridgeshire Live: "This was a fantastic operation but it was not just about finding the cannabis farms although that is a success in itself.

"This was about taking half a million pounds out of the pockets of organised gangs who would use the money to buy class A drugs and to fund crime such as human trafficking.

"This was an intelligence led operation where we learned about one house and sent the helicopter up to verify what we thought. The helicopter found six more. These properties could yield organised gangs about two and a half million pounds a year but we have managed to stop that flow of money which would have been used for other crimes."

He added: "The day was a great success, our aim was to disrupt organised criminal networks who use the funds from cannabis farming to fund larger scale criminality within our communities, such as class A drug supply and people trafficking.

“We will continue to target organised crime, protect our communities and the vulnerable by targeting these groups, however we rely on information from our communities to drive this activity forward, therefore I would encourage anyone to report information to us or anonymously to Crimestoppers.”

Anyone with information about the production or supply of drugs can report to police by calling 101 or online at www.cambs.police.uk/report. To report information anonymously contact the independent charity, Crimestoppers, by calling 0800 555 111 or visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org.